New email security tool to keep out cyber criminals announced

A new online tool designed to help organisations check whether their email security is adequate has been launched by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

The Centre, which is a part of GCHQ, says the tool will help businesses identify any flaws or vulnerabilities in their email system so they can be fixed in order to keep out cyber attackers.

The tool has been announced on the first day of the NCSC’s annual CyberUK conference.

Called Email Security Check, it will analyse a user’s email domain and recommend any security measures to stop scammers and protect privacy.

The free online checker will require no sign-up or personal details to use.

It will work by looking up information about an email domain that is already publicly available and will check for security features which prevent cyber criminals from accessing private messages or abusing their email domain by spoofing it and sending out malicious emails pretending to be them.

“Email plays a central role in how organisations communicate every day so it’s vital that technical teams have measures in place to protect email systems from abuse,” Paul Maddinson, NCSC director for national resilience and strategy, said.

“Our new Email Security Check tool helps users identify where they can do more to prevent spoofing and protect privacy and offers practical advice on how to stay secure.

“By following the recommended actions, organisations can help bolster their defences, demonstrate they taken security seriously, and make life harder for cyber criminals.”

The introduction of the new security measure comes after the NCSC revealed earlier on Tuesday that it had taken down a record 2.7 million online scams during 2021.